Improvement in thill-couplings



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PMFMED JUL 215 1871 rig. 1.

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Inv-enter.

@MAQ Q O/f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

` IMPROVEMENT IN THlLL-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,328, dated July 25,187]..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN B. PRINDLE, of the town of Southington, inthe county of Hartford and in the State of Connecticut, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Anti-BattlingAttachmentforCarriage-Shackles; and do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing making a part of this specification, in which-Figure l is a plan view of the upper side of a carriage-shacklecontaining my improved attachment. Fig. 2 is a like view of the lowerside of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical central section of said device onthe line .rm of Figs. l and 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of thebolt-section of my attachment, and Fig. 5 is a like view of the lowersection of the same. i

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of thefigures.

My invention belongs to a class of devices having for its object theprevention of the jarring or rattling of the shackles or connectionsbetween the shafts or pole of a carriage and the front axle; and itconsists in the peculiar construction of the device by means of whichthe same may be applied to and combined with a carriage-shackle ofordinary construction, substantially as is hereinafter shown anddescribed.

In the annexed drawing, A represents the clip portion of a shackle, fromthe front side of which extend horizontally forward two ears, B, withinwhich is pivoted a shackle-eye, C, by means of a bolt, D, that passeshorizontally an d in a line with the axle E through said parts, thewhole forming a carriage-shackle of ordinary construction. EX- tendingdownward through the opening left between the Vrear end of theshackle-eye C and clip A, and betweenthe ears B,is a bolt, F, providedat its upper end with a head, j', that extends across and incloses theupper end of said opening, and rests at its ends upon the upper sides ofsaid ears, said bolt being so bent as to cause it to conform to thevertical shape of said opening, as seen in Fig. 3. Fitted to or upon thelower end of the bolt F is a clamp or friction-block, G, which has thegeneral exterior form shown in Fig. 5, its upper side being conformedtoi-the lower side and rear end of the shackle-eye, so that when pressedupward it shall embrace the same. To accomplish the latter object thelower end of the bolt F is threaded and provided with two nuts, f',which, when said parts are in position, bea-r against the lower end ofthe friction-block and press the same upward upon and with relation tosaid bolt. As thus arranged, it will be seen that, by screwing upwardupon the nuts f', the

friction-block will be forced against the lowerside of the shackle-eyeand cause the latter to bear with more or less pressure against itspivotal bolt D, so as to prevent all motion between the same other thanthe necessary radial movement of said shackle-eye caused by the verticalmovements of the shafts. By placing a piece of rubber, H, between thecontiguous surfaces of the friction-block and the shackle-eye thepressure required to prevent rattling between the latter and the shacklewill be much lessened, while the radial movements of said shackle-eyewill be less obstructed.

The especial advantages possessed by this device are, that, whileequally effective, it costs less than those ordinarily used, and, unlikethe latter, requiresv no especial construction of thecarriageshackle,but may be applied to the common merchantable article.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention, whatI claim as new is- The bolt F, provided with the head f and nuts f, andthe friction-block G, (with or without the rubber IL) in combinationwith an ordinary carriage-sh ackle, substantially as andfor the purposespecified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this1st day of July, 1871.

FRANKLIN B. PRIN DLE.

Witnesses:

D. A. KELLOGG, WALTER S. MERRILL.

